Lindsey Vonn opened up about being emotional after registering a podium position at the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup finals in Idaho. The American athlete finished second in the Super G and became the oldest Alpine skier to finish in the top three positions in the World Cup.
Vonn decided to make a professional comeback after undergoing a partial knee replacement surgery in April 2025 to treat recurring issues with her knee. The American athlete underwent a rehabilitation program and made a swift recovery to the slopes, intending to improve and compete in the upcoming winter Olympic Games in 2026.
Despite initial struggles in her comeback, Lindsey Vonn did not lose her motivation and focused on getting used to the competition as well as making improvements as she proceeded further. After several appearances, she finally finished second and got emotional on the podium during the victory ceremony.
Lindsey Vonn made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and expressed her thoughts about the moment. The American athlete shared that she was emotional recalling her journey and expressed how a lot of people doubted her ability when she announced her decision to make a comeback.
” You know this is kind of a crazy comeback. I have a titanium knee. I am forty-one. I already had the record for the oldest Olympic medalist at thirty-three. I think some people were a little bit skeptical of my comeback, but you know, when I got the silver medal at the last World Cup, it was just like the Olympics for me. I did it for myself. I knew I could do it, but so many people said that I couldn’t. I proved everyone wrong. I proved myself I could,” she said.(2:44 onwards)
Furthermore, she hopes to train even harder while aiming to compete against some of the best skiers in the world in the quadrennial games.
Lindsey Vonn opens up about her struggles while making a comeback
Lindsey Vonn spoke about her struggles in an interview with FIS. The American athlete shared that it took her some time to get used to her equipment as well as work on her shortcomings during training.
Furthermore, Vonn acknowledged that her 20th-place finish at Cortina d’Ampezzo was the lowest point for her in the season, as she had expected to perform well.
“Yeah. I mean, I think there were a few difficult moments. Mostly just trying to figure out my equipment and figure out, you know, what was going right and what was going wrong and how to fix things, and it was hard to do that in the season, she said (0:50 onwards).
Vonn expressed that her optimistic attitude helped her to overcome struggles and push her limits in her comeback season.
Edited by Adityan Pillai
